


The Heart of the Matter

by Phoebe_Snow



Series: Your Touch is Like Magic [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Character Bashing, F/M, First Kiss, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Humor, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Imagine your OTP, Just Sharon tho, OTP Feels, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:27:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebe_Snow/pseuds/Phoebe_Snow
Summary: Wanda wasn’t the kind of person who liked to angst over a man, especially when she was sure that he didn’t like her in return. Wallowing in frustrated emotions was a waste of time, but here she was, angsting anyway.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Wanda Maximoff
Series: Your Touch is Like Magic [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1027895
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	The Heart of the Matter

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so for this story, I've decided to change a lot of things that are canon in the MCU. Peggy and Steve never had a romance, HYDRA never infiltrated SHIELD, Ultron didn’t happen, the Sokovia accords weren’t created, Bucky didn’t kill Tony's parents, Wanda was recruited to join the Avengers in 2015 and she’s twenty-five in this story.

* * *

Wanda was used to taking care of herself. When Pietro was alive, they looked after one another, but since he died, she didn’t have that anchor anymore. She was grateful that the Avengers took her in, but she still felt a little out of place.

It’s not that she believed she didn’t belong here. On the contrary. Using her powers to help others and being part of a group of superheroes who fought injustice and tyranny was the best thing she could do now. She just hadn’t fully bonded with her teammates yet.

By nature, she was introverted and liked to listen to people more than carry on a conversation. Still, she engaged in some small talk with each member of the Avengers. They were all quite interesting in their own unique way, but the one person Wanda found herself intrigued by the most was James Barnes.

The long-haired brunette caught her eye when she was first introduced to the team. He seemed to be a lot like her, quiet, introspective, more on the serious side, but with a healthy sense of humor and caring to the people close to him. She believed they were kindred spirits, so she spent more time in his presence than anyone else’s.

Everyone on the team either called him Barnes, Sergeant or Bucky, but Wanda always called him James. She thought it was a lovely name and much more handsome than his nickname. He liked it and since she was the one person who called him by his first name, it made her feel special.

It was obvious to the other members of the Avengers how at ease they were together, so Steve assigned James to be Wanda’s trainer. Natasha trained her in special fighting moves that suited her smaller form and various tools of the spy trade, but James taught her for the most part.

No one knew, but Wanda had begun to have a crush on him. He was always kind to her, but he knew when to challenge and encourage her to do her best. Out of all the men she had known in her life, James was the one she admired above the rest.

Maybe that’s why she was scared of how deeply her feelings got the more time she spent with him. Her heart pounded whenever his arm brushed against hers; her lips quivered whenever he held her pinned on the mat during a training session; her breath grew halted when he winked at her.

She highly doubted that he’d consider her as a romantic partner. She was only twenty-five years old and he was over a hundred - although she didn’t consider that to be a problem since he’d been in cryo most of those years.

_He probably just sees me as a little sister._

"Earth to Wanda. Is anybody home?"

James' voice pulled her out of her reverie. He leaned against her door jamb, looking down at her with a bemused smile.

"Sorry. I was thinking."

"Must’ve been something annoying for the scowl that was on your face."

"I was scowling?"

"Mmhm. The way you do when you’re trying to figure out a problem. Maybe I could help?"

"Oh, I don’t think so." The last thing she wanted was for James to know that she'd been brooding over her feelings for him. 

"If you’re sure." 

"I am. It’s just girl things, you know."

His gaze went to her stomach. "Is it period stuff? Because I can get you some ibuprofen. I think I have some leftover Whitman's chocolates and those Bugles that you like. We can also watch a movie together. I know you always feel better after seeing one of your musicals."

God, could he get any _more_ perfect?

Wanda fought the urge to throw herself into his embrace and just gave him a little smile. "James, I’m not on my period, but I appreciate the offer."

"Anything for you, doll." He sat on the bed, their thighs brushing. "Guess what happened to me today?"

"You finally found your AARP card?"

"Haha, you’re so hilarious." He rolled his eyes, but continued. "Natasha told me that she's trying to find me a date."

Seriously? _Now_ , of all times,  _this_ had to be the topic of conversation? Here she'd been on her bed, trying to rein in her emotions about this man who had become so important to her and he tells her that he’s being set up with another woman?

"Why would she do something like that? You’ve said before that you’re not interested in a relationship."

"That was my reaction, too. I still need time to heal after...him  ." He didn’t have to elaborate. She knew he referred to the Winter Soldier.

"Did you tell her that?"

"Yeah, and she agreed, but she said there was nothing wrong with cultivating a friendship that could grow to become more in time."

Wanda wrinkled her nose at that. Of course, she knew Natasha meant no harm and was merely looking out for her friend, but this bothered her. She wanted to keep James to herself, as much as she could, anyway. She didn’t mind sharing him with their teammates, but with a woman? Forget it.

She licked her lips and did her best to appear nonchalant, even though she was a maelstrom inside. "Has she given you a list of recommendations?" The words came out sarcastically.

"No, but she had some ideas about who could be a good candidate as my 'lady friend'. I disagreed with all of her picks, but there’s one I didn’t expect her to mention."

"Who's the lucky woman?"

"Sharon Carter."

"...you mean that agent whose aunt is one of the founders of SHIELD?"

"That’s the one."

_Ha, she's not very pretty_ was the catty thought that popped into Wanda's mind.

"Sharon is Peggy's niece and I knew Peggy back in the forties. That makes the concept of dating her relative bizarre to be honest."

"I understand that. Wait a minute, wasn’t Sharon interested in Steve last year?"

"She was. Natasha tried to convince him to call her, but it didn’t work. He liked her instead."

Wanda nodded. Everyone who worked in the Avengers complex, including the team, knew that Steve and Natasha were soft on each other. They worked well together, as both SHIELD agents and Avengers. 

As a matter of fact, when Wanda had first joined Earth's mightiest heroes, she thought they were dating because how comfortable they were around each other. She wasn’t sure when they began to date, but they were a couple now and an attractive one at that. Natasha had definitely been a better choice for Steve than Sharon.

"What's even weirder is that Peggy used to have a thing for Steve." 

Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"Did he like her in return?" Wanda hoped she didn’t sound like a gossip, but she couldn’t help her curiosity.

"I think he had a little crush on her, but nothing came of it."

"I’m glad to hear that. I can’t imagine how inappropriate it’d be if he liked her seventy years ago and then, years later, had an interest in her niece."

"I second that. There are some lines that should never be crossed." James lie back on the bed and put his hands behind his head. "So what do you think? Should I go out with Sharon?"

James was a desirable man and he had many fine qualities that a lot of women would find attractive, but there was a niggling doubt in Wanda's mind when she pictured him with the blonde by his side. It seemed...unnatural.

She drew her knees up and rested her chin on her sweatpants. "Personally, I think she’s too mild for you. I don’t know her personally, but I’ve seen her enough to know that you wouldn’t be a good fit."

"That’s what I thought too."

"Then why did you ask for my opinion?" Wanda furrowed her brow.

"Because I wanted to know how you'd react." He sat up, giving her a probing look. "You were jealous when I said Natasha wanted to set me up on a date."

_Shit._

The brunette stared back at his intense blue eyes and shrugged. In a last ditch effort to cover her emotions, she replied, "Yeah, I was. You’re good company and the concept of sharing you with someone else kind of annoys me."

"Don’t give me that. I saw the expression on your face when I told you." His next words came out softly. "You have feelings for me, don’t you?"

"I-I..." A blush appeared on her cheeks and she looked down, embarrassed that he’d seen through her so easily.

James used his other hand to hold her chin up, locking his eyes on hers. His breath hitched when he saw the warmth, the affection there. "Wanda, tell me."

Her lips trembled, but she couldn’t turn her gaze from him. "I do care about you, James...as more than a friend."

"That’s all I wanted to hear." He kissed her forehead and pulled her in for a hug. She buried her face in his shirt, hands going to his waist, clinging to him.

"How long have you known?"

"For a couple of weeks. I didn’t know how to bring it up until now, so it looks like Natasha did me a favor by trying to get me a date."

"Oh, yeah?" She pulled away from him and lightly swatted his chest. "More like you’re a huge jerk for not just asking me how I felt about you earlier."

"I’m sorry! What was I supposed to do? Grab you and kiss you?"

"That would’ve been nice, yes."

He ran circles on the exposed skin on her back. "Well...would you like me to do that now?"

Wanda shivered at the husky timbre of his voice. How had this moment gone from sweet to sultry so quickly? James looked at her expectantly, those blue eyes piercing her soul. 

_Answer him, already!_

"I would like that."

With her permission, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. And boy, what a kiss it was. He took his time in the kiss, paying special attention to her upper lip, but keeping movement to a bare minimum until she responded. She appreciated this because she’d never been kissed before and was inexperienced with such an intimacy. 

He playfully slid his tongue into her mouth, massaging hers expertly. It didn’t last long, just a taste of how wonderful he was at kissing. A little moan escaped her and she sighed when he pulled away. She slowly opened her eyes and panted slightly. "That was incredible."

"I aim to please." He winked and she pushed his shoulder, but gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Now, you said something about a movie?" 

James reached for her hand again. "Yeah."

"Then let’s go." Wanda entwined their fingers and together, they walked to the living room. On the way, she realized that she could really get used to the feel of his strong hand in hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Drop by my [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/greenfleeze) or [instagram](http://instagram.com/first.lady.romanogers) and say hi!💞


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